Halfway to Saving the World
by sunbune
Summary: another version of the inevitable PMK RK crossover! Rating for language, violence, and most of all, severe immaturity only to be appreciated by those who ought not to display it.
1. cousins or something

Author's note: I'm sure someone out there has already written something along these lines… but this is what my crazy brain imagined for the inevitable PMK/RK crossover. You'll be sure to roll your eyes at the second half of this chapter, but once we get it out of the way, the story will improve, I promise. Will be 6 chapters. Please review, even if you hate it!

Chapter 1: cousins or something

Saitou Hajime opened his eyes suddenly. There was a presence approaching the Shinsengumi headquarters… and ominous, heavy sense of sword ki. Saitou had never sensed anything like it, yet his expression remained unchanged. Silently he rose from his sitting position and realized that Hijikata's pageboy was about to pass by his doorway. Just as the little redhead came into view, Saitou stuck his face out into the hall.

Tetsu found himself nose-to-nose with the scary captain of the third squad, and he let out a strangled "urk!" of terror.

"Someone's at the gate," Saitou muttered. "Go and let him in."

"Uh… yes sir," Tetsu replied, spinning around and heading for the entrance. Halfway there, another door slid open- this time the one to captain Okita's room.

"It's amazing," Souji said softly, stepping outside. Tetsu looked up at him in surprise, but Souji was gazing beyond him in the direction of the gate. "Can't you sense it, Tetsukun?" Souji almost whispered. "Such powerful ki. Are you on your way to let him in?"

"I guess so," Tetsu said awkwardly, and Souji followed him out into the yard.

When they opened the gate there was no one there. Squinting into the darkness, however, they distinguished a figure striding towards them from about a hundred feet away. The closer it came, the more menacing it seemed. Tall and incredibly broad-shouldered, the man wore an almost preposterous white cape. There was an infinite measure of graceful strength in the way he moved—this was obviously a man of purpose. Souji stared at him with an almost dumbfounded expression.

"Okitasan?" Tetsu asked, worried. "Who _is_ this guy?"

"I— don't know…" Souji breathed. "But there's something… familiar about him."

"I see you've anticipated my arrival," the tall stranger said in a gruff, rich voice. The was no mistaking the arrogance in his tone, and he was close enough now for Tetsu and Souji to see the self-satisfied smirk on his face. "I guess you're not quite as pitiful as I'd heard." With that, the visitor stepped through the gate. Tetsu looked him up and down, gawking. He'd never seen anyone with such huge shoulders. Then he noticed the round jug of sake held by a cord in the stranger's hand. The tall man looked at him and frowned.

"Well!" Tetsu said nervously, figuring that he might be screwing up his page duties again. "How kind of you to visit our humble headquarters. I'll go tell commander Kondou that you've arrived--"

"Forget Kondou. Where the hell's Toshi?"

Both Tetsu and Souji practically gasped. The tall man's proud expression shifted in annoyance as the two shinsengumi stared at him in shock.

"Ah- anyway," Tetsu plowed ahead, bowing apologetically. "You've brought a gift! How thoughtful. I'll just take it to--"

"Oh, this?" the stranger raised the jug of sake. "This is mine." Tetsu was stunned into silence, his mouth hanging open stupidly. "Well? Which one of you morons can take me to Toshi? Don't worry, if neither of you can, I'm sure I'll be able to find him on my own." He pushed his cape out of the way slightly so Tetsu and Souji could see the hilt of his sword. Tetsu gulped, more than a little unnerved.

"I'll take you," Souji said softly. "Please, follow me."

Naturally the strength of the visitor's sword ki had woken Hijikata from his sleep. He sat groggily in his room, fumbling to light his pipe with his eyes still closed. All too soon came the expected footsteps outside his room.

"Vice commander?" Souji's voice called quietly. "You have a visitor."

"Get out of my way," grumbled a deep, gruff voice.

Frowning, Hijikata raised the pipe to his lips as the door was thrown open. Upon seeing the hulking shadow in his doorway, the look of disdain that constituted Hijikata's usual expression intensified.

"What do _you_ want?" Hijikata growled.

"A mutually beneficial solution to a problem," the massive shadow growled back.

"Is that so," Hijikata said scornfully. A moment passed in silence. "Souji." Hijikata said at last. "Will you please light some candles for us?"

With a look of puzzled, round-eyed innocence, Souji scrambled to accommodate the request. The broad-shouldered visitor sat down, his cape settling heavily on the floor around him. He almost unconsciously poured himself a small cup of sake and then held it up in Hijikata's direction. "You know," he said, pointing at Hijikata with the index finger of the hand that held the sake dish—"Smoking's a disgusting habit." Then he emptied the sake dish into his mouth in one gulp. Hijikata glowered at him, a thin line of smoke climbing from his pipe.

The room now brightened by two candle-lamps, Souji settled himself onto his heels. The visitor looked at him in disgust.

"Get lost," he growled. Souji blinked at the stranger innocently while Hijikata clenched his hands into fists.

"Nobody speaks to Souji that way," Hijikata said threateningly. Souji smiled at him, and then turned to study the stranger again, a solemn expression on his childlike face. "Whatever you have to say to me, Souji will hear it too," Hijikata continued.

"feh," the broad-shouldered man said in disgust, and poured himself another drink.

"Since when are you an alcoholic?" Hijikata asked.

"Since sake's the only thing that doesn't smell like blood," replied the stranger. Then he glanced at Souji again. "You're both killers the same as me, so I'm sure you understand the importance of having a… distraction, a sort of source of comfort… something to take your mind away from the ugliness of slaughter." He smiled almost cruelly.

Hijikata heaved a defeated sigh. "Souji," he said, "Regrettably, it seems I must introduce you to this relative of mine… we're cousins or something. What was that stupid name you're calling yourself these days?"

"Hiko," the visitor supplied. "Hiko will suffice."

"Whatever. Now… what's this 'problem' you came here to solve?"

"I'll get straight to the point," Hiko said. "I don't give a damn about the revolution you're trying to prevent, and I don't give a damn about preserving the shogunate either. But there's a certain hitokiri in the employ of a certain Katsura Kogoro that I would like you to capture—alive, if possible. He believes whole-heartedly in the revolution, but he's young, and strong. Too strong. There's no telling what he'll destroy if he continues down the path he's chosen."

"If you care so much about this young Ishin-shishi, go capture him yourself!" Hijikata declared. "I don't see why you have to involve us."

"What? I'm in the position to tell you the identity of the most dangerous assassin working for your enemies! You don't think your little club would benefit from capturing him?"

"From killing him, perhaps," Souji commented softly.

Hiko sneered at him. "I'd rather you kill him than allow him to continue what he's doing. I can't imagine the misery of his existence if he survives this mess."

"But you asked us to capture him," Hijikata noted. "That's interesting. Just who is he?"

"My student," Hiko said darkly.

"Hoh," Hijikata said. "I thought you weren't going to teach that hiten-mitsu nonsense."

"I changed my mind. He's an idiot and he's still got a lot to learn, but he knows enough to be dangerous, even to your little genius here." He nodded his head in Souji's direction but didn't take his eyes off Hijikata. "But surely," he continued, "if the Shinsengumi pooled its resources, you could find a way to stop him."

Souji laughed lightly. "Why, Hikosan, you make it sound like such a daunting task! Who is he, the hitokiri Battousai?"

"yes," Hiko said, calmly sipping his sake.

"What?" Souji cried, startled.

"Impossible," Hijikata growled. "That's a rumor. There is no Battousai. It's a story made up to scare new recruits."

"Ha," Hiko said, sneering. "Already legendary, is he? _Sasuge ore no baka deshi_."

"This is ludicrous. Even if your student _is_ running about butchering people, I don't understand why you can't go fetch him yourself. He's your responsibility, isn't he?" Hijikata asked.

Hiko frowned. "The thing is, he got involved in this business against my wishes..."

"So ka," Souji spoke up, figuring it out right away. "A grateful student is easier to teach than a resentful one. If Hikosan were to forcibly pull him away from the path he's chosen, he'd resent it… but if he was captured by his enemies, and Hikosan _rescued_ him…"

"Exactly." Hiko nodded. "I've put a lot of effort into training that idiot, and I don't want it to go to waste."

The cousins studied each other for a moment.

"Very well," Hijikata grumbled at last. "But only because getting rid of this hitokiri is in the best interests of the Shinsengumi."

"You'll make every effort to capture him alive?" Hiko asked. "Your word on this."

"Fine. You have my word. We'll try to capture him alive, but…"

"Like I said. If he cannot be captured, kill him. You'll be doing him a favor in that case."

Hijikata nodded. "Understood. So who is he? Who is this 'Battousai' I've heard so many exaggerated stories about?"

"He's the last person you'd expect," Hiko said. "About fourteen years old, maybe fifteen by now. He's an obnoxious brat- a small, scrawny sort of kid with crazy bright red hair and--"

"RED HAIR?" roared Hijikata, rising to his feet and turning towards the door, quivering once or twice in rage. "_ICHIMURAAAA!_"

Tetsu had just settled into the closet for the night when he heard the vice commander screaming for him. What had he done to provoke the demon now? Trembling, he pulled his blanket up to his chin. Suddenly the door to the closet was thrown open. Whimpering, Tetsu pulled the blankets over his head.

"_What have you done this time?_" a frantically worried voice hissed.

"Tatsunii!" Tetsu cried, peeking out from the blanket. His elder brother looked over his shoulder, teeth clenched.

"Hijikata's on his way!"

"Save me!" Tetsu squealed.

Looking as if he had a severe stomachache, Tatsu closed the closet door and spun around, pressing his back against it and holding out his arms to either side protectively. A split second later the demon-like vice commander appeared, breathing like an angry bull.

"Step aside!" he ordered.

Tatsu gulped. "Whatever he's done, sir, please accept my apol--" he was cut short as Hijikata knocked him out of the way with one blow of his huge fist. Tatsu crumpled to the floor in pain as Hijikata yanked open the closet and hauled Tetsu out by his hair.

Hijikata dragged the protesting child down the hall and threw him into the room at Hiko's feet.

Tetsu looked up fearfully with tears in his orangey-chestnut eyes.

"Hn? The boy from the gate," Hiko said, sipping his sake.

"Is _this_ your hitokiri?" Hijikata snarled.

"No," Hiko said. "He's a little bigger than this kid. And you didn't let me finish my description. He's got purple eyes, and--"

"Souji," Hijikata interrupted. "Do we know any small, scrawny, obnoxious persons with red hair and purple eyes?"

Souji grimaced and blinked quickly. "Aa- Hijikatasan- you can't possibly suspect--"

Without letting him finish, Hijikata stomped back out into the hall.

"NAGAKURAAA!"

"Ho ya?" Sano said, lowering his cards and turning to Shinpachi, whose purple eyes had grown wide in terror. "Hijikata sounds pissed."

"Shit shit _shit_!" Shinpachi squeaked in his obnoxious voice, card game forgotten. "Tetsu must've turned me in- that little fucker!" The sound of heavy footsteps in the hall grew louder and Shinpachi clutched Sano's jacket in terror. "He's gonna kill me!" the scrawny redhead squealed.

"Quick! Hide!" Sano said, shoving Shinpachi down onto his futon.

"What the--" Shinpachi said, but Sano pulled the heavy comforter up over Shinpachi's head and scrambled towards the door. He opened it and found himself face-to-face with the vice commander.

"Oh, Hijikatasan," Sano said, faking a yawn.

"Nagakura's not in his room," Hijikata grumbled.

"Oh, is that so? Well, uhh, maybe he's on a patrol or something." He tried to close the door to his room but Hijikata reached out and stopped the door with his hand.

"Eeeehg," Sano said nervously as Hijikata brushed past him into the room.

"Playing cards by yourself then?" the vice commander asked, kicking the cards across the floor.

"Ah- iyaah—that was a game from earlier-" Sano stuttered. Hijikata's eye twitched as he caught sight of the rumpled blanket on Sano's futon. He took three slow steps over to it, and then gave it a swift kick.

"Itai!" the lumpy blanket screeched. Enraged, Hijikata tore the blanket away from Shinpachi, who grinned up at him, terrified.

"What do you think you're doing?" Hijikata snarled.

"eee…" Shinpachi said, petrified.

"Ggh! Never mind!" Hijikata said, disgusted. "Get up!' Without giving him a chance to comply, the vice commander reached down and grabbed Shinpachi by the front of his yukata, dragging him out of the room.

"Shinpachi!" Sano cried, tears pouring down his cheeks. "Die bravely! Like a samurai!" He wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"_Yaaaaaah!_" Shinpachi hollered, kicking and struggling.

"_Sayonara!_" Sano called after him, bawling.

Hijikata tossed Shinpachi into the room exactly as he had done with Tetsu.

Grimacing, Shinpachi looked up at Hiko.

"Amazing," Hiko muttered, annoyed. "Another one. Just how many redheads are there in this country, anyway?"

"These are the only two I know of," Hijikata growled.

"Well, I'm afraid there's at least one more in this city," Hiko said. "I named him Kenshin, but he's using the name _Himura_ now- Himura Battousai."

"_Battousai?_" Tetsu and Shinpachi screeched simultaneously.

"The smaller one's _Ich- himura_. Are you sure that's not him?" Hijikata asked.

"This runt?" Hiko grunted in disdain, glancing down at Tetsu. "He's got a half-baked revengeful streak. A brat like him couldn't learn mitsuryugi ryu any better than _you _could learn a sense of humor."

Souji smiled at that remark, and earned a reproachful glare from Hijikata.

"I beg your pardon," Shinpachi said, "But what the hell is going on?"

Hiko spoke up authoritatively. "Toshi has agreed to capture the hitokiri Battousai for me. Alive, if possible."

"Whaaaat!" Shinpachi exclaimed. "You mean that guy actually exists?"

"You're dismissed," Hijikata grunted. "You too, pageboy."

The two redheads scrambled from the room at top speed.

"Now tell me," Hijikata said, his eyes narrowed. "How to catch this runaway student of yours."


	2. cuter than expected

Chapter 2: cuter than expected

The middle-aged man walked unhurriedly down the street. He wore an expensive haori over a plain kimono, and was humming the song they'd all be singing in the teahouse. From the shadows, Souji watched him with pity. He was a political ally of the Shinsengumi, yet tonight he would be sacrificed so that they could capture the one hitokiri who threatened to bring down the shogunate all by himself.

In addition to Souji, captains Nagakura, Saitou, Toudou, and Harada were all stationed along this street, waiting to spring the trap, with both of the Yamazaki spies watching from the rooftops. Any minute now, the hitokiri would appear.

"Excuse me," said a soft, clear voice behind Souji. The Shinsengumi captain froze, swept by the force of a deadly presence…how had he missed the approach of someone with that kind of aura? Slowly he turned around.

Standing in the shadows just a short distance back there was a young boy. He stood with his shoulders slightly slouched, looking at the ground. He was shorter than Souji, and his long hair was tied in a high ponytail. He had two swords at his side. There could be no mistake. This was Battousai.

Silently Souji stood aside and the hitokiri moved forward, barely picking up his feet as he walked. Without even glancing up, the boy shuffled past Souji and into the street. Eyes wide, Souji peered around the corner to see what would happen. It happened so fast, he could barely see it at all-- the boy leapt into the air behind the man in the nice haori, drew his katana in midair, and brought the blade down directly on top of the unfortunate man's head, splitting him from skull to navel. The body fell forward heavily, and the murderer hadn't even gotten a drop of blood on his sandals. His blade flashed as he shook the blood from it with one swift motion. He tossed a folded scrap of paper at the body, not caring that it landed in the puddle of blood beside the corpse. Everyone already knew what the paper said: _tenchuu_… the justice of heaven.

The boy turned away, and Souji stepped out into the street. "Wait!" he cried. The boy stopped. "You know you're surrounded, don't you?" Souji asked breathlessly. The boy didn't reply.

"Gaagh!" came an exasperated voice from further down the street. Sano stepped into view. "What the hell are you doing, Okita? You're ruining the plan!"

"So it's the Shinsengumi." the hitokiri muttered listlessly, closing his eyes. And then suddenly his blade was out and thrashing the air, defending against a flurry of projectiles thrown expertly from the rooftops. None of the little darts touched him, but as he slashed them out of the air they crumbled into dust, forming a dense cloud.

_Poison?_ Clenching his teeth, the Ishin-shishi began to run, but by now every exit was blocked by a Shinsengumi captain.

Souji knew that the chemical would make the assassin's eyes sting and water and, if he'd breathed enough of it, would make him lose consciousness, but not for a few more minutes. Grimly drawing his sword, Souji prayed that the chemical would take effect before the hitokiri killed anyone else. "Battousai," Souji called out calmly. "Put both your swords on the ground and step away from them."

The hitokiri only tightened his grip on his katana, but he was shaking his head and blinking painfully, so Souji knew that the chemical was taking effect. The five captains started to move in closer, all of them with expressions of mixed fascination and determination… except for Saitou, who looked only slightly bemused.

Without warning, the hitokiri attacked. He would have completely skewered Sanosuke, except that Shinpachi was just as quick as he was, and diverted the blow.

"Argh!" Sano said, as blood poured from the slash across his ribs. "That was close. Thanks, Shinpachi!"

Shinpachi, meanwhile, was fighting for his life. "He's strong!" Shinpachi panted, barely dodging the boy's next two strikes. A second later, Sanosuke and Heisuke had joined the battle, and Sano managed to hit the boy with the side of his spear. The hitokiri staggered but did not fall, and then immediately charged at Sano, slicing the spear in half- and he would have sliced Sanosuke in half as well, except that Shinpachi materialized in front of him again and blocked the blow with his own blade.

"How many times am I gonna have to save you before you catch a clue?" Shinpachi screamed at Sanosuke, as he and Heisuke took turns blocking for each other.

It was obvious to Souji and Saitou that even with the drug slowing him down, Heisuke, Shinpachi, and Sano together, while they might be able to defend themselves, would still have no chance of overwhelming the hitokiri. At least, not until he finally passed out.

"Isn't he supposed to be going to sleep soon?" Heisuke called out nervously.

"He might fight unconsciously for a few minutes," Saitou predicted. Sure enough, the hitokiri's eyes were already clenched shut.

"_What?_" screeched Shinpachi as he narrowly avoided being eviscerated for the tenth or twelfth time in the past minute.

"I've had enough of this kid," Sano roared, throwing his broken spear at the hitokiri. With Shinpachi's sword blocking the hitokiri's left hand, and Heisuke's sword trembling against the hitokiri's blade, which he held in just his right, the young Ishin-shishi had no way to defend himself against the improvised javelin. It crashed into his chest, breaking the skin but fortunately bouncing off rather than shattering the breastbone beneath.

With an abbreviated moan, the hitokiri staggered backwards, and then turned to try once more to escape, but ran right into Saitou.

Saitou grabbed the boy by the throat, lifting him off his feet. The hitokiri gasped for air, and tried to cut off Saitou's arm, but Souji intervened and expertly held the boy's weapon at bay. Finally, the struggling body went limp. Saitou lowered the boy to the ground and stepped on his right wrist until the unconscious Battousai let go of his sword. Silently Saitou collected the hitokiri's saya and wakizashi as the other Shinsengumi captains gathered round.

"Well, that wasn't too bad," Ayumu said quietly, as she and her brother landed cat-like beside Saitou.

"He looks like a girl," Sano observed, peering down at the smooth, childlike face of the sleeping Battousai. There were tears around the closed eyes, a side-effect of the chemical dust he'd been exposed to.

"Did you see how fast he was? And how he took out that guy from midair?" Shinpachi said, clearly in awe. "Souji, can you do that?"

"Hm," Souji said thoughtfully. "I've never tried."

Meanwhile Saitou had taken the time to examine the wound on the boy's chest. "He'll live," he determined.

"Yamazakikun," Souji said quietly. "Will you please tie him up? We don't want to be in the way of whoever comes to inspect the assassination." Silently, Susumu tied the hitokiri's hands and feet. "And Sanosukesan, please carry him," Souji added.

"What am I, your packhorse?" Sano asked, throwing the limp little body over his shoulder as if it were a sack of potatoes.

"You're more like a pack _mule_," Shinpachi commented, smirking. "Horses are a bit more dignified."

"Hey hey hey, be nice to me, this shrimp almost killed me! In fact, I'm still _bleeding_, but do any of you care? Does anybody ask if Sanosuke's okay? No! It's 'carry this, Sano', and 'you're an ugly mule, Sano'. Geez, where's the respect? Where's the love?"

With Sano still griping, they made their way back to headquarters.

"Vice commander Hijikata!" Tetsu exclaimed. "They're back! They're back!"

"All of them?" Hijikata asked gruffly, and Tetsu realized that the stern old demon actually looked _worried_.

"Yes sir!" Tetsu answered promptly.

"Hmf," Hijikata snorted.

Hijikata and Tetsu met the returning party at the gate. Heisuke patted the unconscious boy on the shoulder. "Well, here he is! The legendary killer," he declared. "Alive, intact, and cuter than expected!" Heisuke smiled, his face almost kitten-like. "I can't decide if he's like a taller version of our darling lil' koinukun, or a red-haired version of Souji."

"One thing is certain," Souji said solemnly, looking at the prisoner. "The stories we heard about Battousai… were not exaggerated." Everyone felt their skin prickle slightly at the deadly serious tone of his voice. Hijikata shifted his weight.

"Well, lock him up," the vice commander ordered. "Make sure there's no way he can get his hands on any kind of weapon. And post a guard."

When Battousai woke up about an hour later, he realized immediately what had happened. _Captured_… he'd never even thought that being captured was a possibility… but of course they would want to torture him for information. Should he kill himself? No… he was no good to Katsura dead. He would escape. He sat up, noticing that his chest had been bandaged. He turned his head, and locked eyes with the guard. Souji smiled at him happily, returning the boy's deadly soulless stare with an expression of patronizing cheerfulness.

"Hello," Souji remarked amicably, tilting his head. "Say, wasn't it a bit careless of you to carry out your kill with so many witnesses?"

"It was an ambush," Battousai replied. "So it wouldn't have been witnesses I killed, but enemies."

"I see." Souji nodded, wide-eyed. "So you really thought you would take us all out." Battousai didn't reply, just continued glaring at his captor. Souji blinked several times. "Ara?" he said, surprised. "Those eyes! You're like a dragon in a cage. I believe you'd eat me if you had the chance. But it looks like our information was wrong-- your eyes aren't purple, they're… well, 'cold' is the color I'd say, except that's not a color." He smiled again, and was pleased to see the boy's brow furrow slightly in confusion. "Really though, I suppose 'colorless' isn't a color either, so I'd have to go with _grey_ for now. But perhaps… they _used_ to be purple?"

Battousai thought this was a tedious conversation and lay back down on the floor, closing his colorless eyes and pretending to sleep.

"Souji," Hijikata said from the door. "Stop smiling, for god's sake." Souji's expression melted away into a quiet frown as Hijikata moved further into the small room and stared down at the young hitokiri in the cell. "We know all about you, Himura Battousai," Hijikata said. The prisoner opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling, not bothering to look at the man who was addressing him. "Now. Tell us where Katsura is."

The young face, framed by dark red bangs, remained expressionless. Hijikata's mouth twitched. "Fourteen years old…" he muttered, and shook his head angrily, glaring at the boy in disgusted disbelief. "It is really true?" he demanded, clenching his fists. "Are you the imperialist hitokiri who has killed sixty men?"

"More," the boy said tiredly, closing his eyes again.

"More?" Hijikata repeated "_More_ than sixty of our allies and comrades… why… I should… I'll make an example of you!"

"_Ahem_," Souji interrupted. "Hijikatasan? May I talk to you for a minute?" he pushed Hijikata out the door.

"What?" Hijikata asked gruffly.

"Let _me _talk to him, please," Souji said.

"Fine. Do whatever you want with him." The angry vice commander stomped off down the hall. Souji sighed and turned his attention back to the prisoner. For the rest of the afternoon, he tried to get the boy to talk to him, without any success.

Katsura's deadliest hitokiri was now a prisoner of the Shinsengumi, and he knew that the friendly chatter of his prison guard --who happened to be the captain of the first squad-- was all an act: soon they would torture him. He had no doubt that they were capable of breaking him, and he wasn't going to be fooled by Okita's pretense of kindness.


	3. moments of relaxation

Chapter 3: moments of relaxation

Three days passed and Souji was the only one who spent any time talking to the miserable boy in the cell. At the end of that third day, Tetsu reported in to the kitchen to pick up the prisoner's dinner.

"Poor child," Ayumu remarked as she handed the tray to Tetsu. "Cooped up in that nasty cell! They haven't even let him out for a bath, have they?"

"Uh, I don't think so," Tetsu replied.

"Hm. I'll have to talk with Hijikatasan about that," Ayumu said pensively.

"Yeah, right. Good luck with that, Ayunee," Tetsu said, heading down the hall and out to the prison shed.

"Thank you," Battousai muttered as Tetsu passed him his bowl of rice.

"Um… you're welcome." Tetsu sat down to watch the prisoner eat, to make sure he didn't try to break a bowl and commit suicide with a shard of it. For some reason the hitokiri in the cell reminded him of Suzu. "So…" Tetsu said awkwardly after a while. He couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. "Why is it that you… you know… why are you…"

"…a hitokiri?" the prisoner finished for him in a low monotone. "Why are _you_ in the Shinsengumi?"

"My parents were killed," Tetsu explained. How many times had he recited his reasons to himself? "…some supporter of Choshu killed them."

Battousai was silent for a moment. Then he spoke with unwavering conviction. "Your parents would want you to be happy. They wouldn't want you to be in the Shinsengumi for their sakes."

"Don't talk like you know," Tetsu exclaimed angrily. "Anyway, you didn't answer my question."

"It's for the revolution," the boy replied quietly. "For the new era that has to come… for the happiness of the people."

"Yeah? Well, what about _my_ happiness? Somebody like you killed my parents! You expect me to be happy in your 'new era' without them?"

The killer bowed his head. "For now," he said softly, "for now… the happiness of some people must be sacrificed."

Tetsu jumped to his feet. "Sacrifice your own happiness then!" he hollered, but tears came to his eyes, and he regretted his words, for it was obvious that there wasn't a single drop of happiness anywhere in the young hitokiri.

Suddenly Ayumu burst into the room. "Mataku ne!" she exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. "Look at the pair of you! Gloomy, gloomy! Tetsu, are you crying? And, Battousaisan, I've never seen such a dismal expression, not even on my brother's face! But I've got some good news. I just bumped into vice commander Hijikata, and he gave permission for the prisoner to take a bath! Now, let's hurry, before he realizes what I asked him and changes his mind."

Tetsu grimaced. "Is this really a good idea, Ayunee?" he asked cautiously, as she bent over to examine the lock on the cell door.

"You won't try to escape when we let you out, will you, dear?" Ayumu asked the prisoner in a motherly tone of voice.

Battousai lowered his head in an abbreviated bow, his shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, but I will try to escape at every opportunity," he muttered.

"Well! That settles it." Ayumu sighed, and stopped working at the lock. She smiled at the prisoner. "At least you're honest," she said kindly, and left as hurriedly as she had arrived. Tetsu blinked.

"That's odd," he remarked. "Usually she's not so easily discouraged." But no sooner had he made that comment than the door opened again.

"Saa!" Ayumu called out triumphantly, shoving four people into the room in front of her.

"What's the big idea, Ayunee?" Shinpachi asked, glancing about the room with a suspicious look on his face.

"Like I said," Ayumu beamed. "You're my prisoner washing squad!"

"Eeeh?" Sano asked. "what do you want us to do, throw buckets of water into his cell?"

"Goodness, no," Ayumu said. "It looks damp enough in there already. You're going to haul him out of there and carry him out to the bathhouse. He'll try to escape, of course, but with four of you to restrain him, I doubt he'll succeed."

"I don't know…" Heisuke said. "Maybe we should drug him first. After all, it took seven of us to catch him."

"Th- That's a good point," Tatsunosuke added nervously. "And, um, as I'm sure you recall, I wasn't one of those seven, so why am I--"

"Well that's very simple, Tatsukun," Ayumu said, smiling. "I've seen you scrubbing Tetsukun's shoulders for him, and, since you've taken such good care of your brother, I figured you would be able to take care of our poor prisoner as well."

"She _means_," Shinpachi clarified, "that she wants _you_ to give our little hitokiri his bath."

"WHAAAT!" screamed Tatsu, gripping the sides of his head with both hands. "_Me?_ Me- but this is- isn't he _The_ Deadly _hitokiri _Battousai_, killer of ten men at once_?"

"Aw, but look at him now!" Sanosuke said. "He's barely bigger than Shinpachi, and without weapons…"

"He's really not that different from our own little koinukun!" Shinpachi concluded with an affectionate tone in his obnoxious voice.

"He _is_ abeautiful boy," Heisuke added. "But we'll still have to watch out- he might _stare_ us to death!"

"YOSH!" Sano roared. "Let's drag the little bastard out here! Me and Heisuke will take his arms, Tatsu and Shinpachi, grab his legs! Alright?"

Ayumu chuckled and unlocked the cell. Instantly Battousai darted into the room, but before he had gone two steps, the four men tackled him, wrestled him to the ground, and then carried him from the room. Tetsu followed, peeved that he hadn't been able to help.

Before long they'd dragged the struggling prisoner into the bathhouse and deprived him of his clothes. Laughing and teasing, they threw a couple of buckets of water at him. Ayumu handed Tatsu a washcloth.

"A- Ayumusan," Tatsu said, turning red. "What are you doing in here? This is the _men's _bath-"

"Oh?" Ayumu smiled. "And where, pray tell, is the _women's_ bath?"

"Um…." Tatsu said, at a loss.

"There isn't one," Tetsu piped up.

Meanwhile all the men had turned and were staring at Ayumu, except for the naked prisoner, who was staring miserably at the floor. Sano's mouth hung open stupidly.

"So that means…" Shinpachi squeaked.

"Ayunee bathes in here?" Sano asked, gaping at her. "Whoa…."

"Mataku ne," Ayumu said. "We're all like a family, aren't we? It's not a big deal. Soro soro… Tatsukun." She pushed him in the direction of the prisoner.

"iiiii," Tatsu whimpered, looking ill. Already drenched, the captured hitokiri resigned himself to his fate and sat down on an upside-down bucket, shoulders hunched and head bent forward. Tatsu approached and held out the washcloth apologetically. "Here you go," he said. "I know you're a kid, but you're not a baby. You can do this yourself."

Battousai looked up through dripping bangs and took the offered washcloth. After he'd scrubbed himself for a few minutes, Sano and Heisuke threw a few more buckets of water over him.

"Well?" Sano asked, turning to Ayumu. "Has the prisoner been washed enough now?"

"Oh, don't you think you could be kind enough to throw him in the tub for a bit?" Ayumu asked, smiling with her eyes scrunched closed. "To be so young and miserable-- I'm sure he's had far too few moments of relaxation in his life."

"I _do_ sort of pity him," Heisuke spoke up. "Hijikata wants information out of him, and you can bet he'll get it."

"Eww," Shinpachi made a face. "_That's_ not a happy thought. Well, let's toss him in, so the poor kid can relax for a minute or three before he's tortured to death." He grabbed one of the prisoner's arms and Heisuke grabbed the other one. Sano marched over to the sliding wooden door that separated the washroom from the large tub that was just for soaking.

"Here you go!" Sano announced, throwing open the door. "Into the tub!" As he said the words, Heisuke and Shinpachi enthusiastically shoved the prisoner through the door, cheering victoriously at the large splash that followed.

"_what the_-" growled an extremely angry voice from inside the bath. All six people remaining in the washroom gasped in horror. A cloud of steam from the opened door to the bath cleared, revealing, in the tub, one exceedingly infuriated vice commander.

Hijikata blinked at the red-haired hitokiri in the tub with him, and then looked up at the crowd of speechless people in the doorway. Heisuke hid behind Sano, and Shinpachi hid behind Heisuke, leaving Sano in front with no one to hide behind. As a result, it was Sano who screamed.

"GAAAA!"

"Shut _up_!" Hijikata commanded, starting to stand, but then thinking better of it. Sano's mouth snapped shut. Hijikata's perpetual frown deepened. "Explain this!"

"Sir, when I asked you earlier…" Ayumu said apologetically, "you said it would be fine if the prisoner took a bath."

"_What?_ You made some comment about the water being hot- I thought you were implying that _I _ought to take a bath."

"Oh, is that so? Ha ha…" Ayumu chuckled unconvincingly.

"This is madness! And the rest of you went along with it? Haven't _any_ of you an ounce of sense or reason? Give a _prisoner_ a _bath_? What is the Shinsengumi, a health spa? You think he'll tell us where the damned Choshu are hiding if we scrub his back for him?"

"Eh… eh heh heh… well, it was worth a try, wasn't it?" Shinpachi asked, grinning stupidly.

"Kill 'em with kindness!" Sano supplied eagerly. Hijikata gritted his teeth.

"OUT," he thundered, and they all fled, abandoning all thought of the prisoner. Said prisoner took advantage of the panic to turn and scramble out of the tub, hoping to escape-- but Hijikata lunged forward, caught him by the ankle, and dragged him back into the water, causing him to crack his head against the floor in the process. Momentarily stunned, the boy looked up, wide-eyed and dazed, for all the world like a bewildered child.

Hijikata studied him as he gradually regained his composure. It was easy to see why Hiko had chosen this boy to train- his strength, determination, and selfless nature were obvious. He was perfect for that silly idea of 'hiten mitsuryuugi'. It crossed the vice commander's mind that he could effectively end that nonsense simply by killing the boy. It would be satisfying to see the look on Hiko's eternally arrogant face when Hijikata told him that the boy had been killed… but Hijikata had given his word. And thus far, there was no need to kill the prisoner.

Battousai frowned suddenly.

"What?" Hijikata asked.

"Nothing," the boy said in a quiet voice, looking away sullenly. Hijikata smirked at him.

"You'll tell me what you know about Katsura," he said darkly. "I won't allow you the privilege of dying until you do."

"Then I'll continue to live, and protect Katsurasan, until my comrades kill you," the boy murmured.

"I see hot water makes you talkative," Hijikata said. "That gives me a brilliant idea for how to start your interrogation."

There was no reaction whatsoever on the boy's face. Hijikata looked at his own reflection in the water for a moment. Just how _evil _did he want to be? As usual, it was up to him to be stoic and harsh. Without Hijikata's presence overshadowing them, the Shinsengumi captains would probably _make friends_ with the prisoner! Well, perhaps not Saitou, who didn't seem to care about making friends. But the rest of them were just too _kind_. Hijikata, it seemed, was the only one willing and able to shoulder the _seriousness _of the Shinsengumi. So, if anyone was going to get information out of the prisoner, it would be Hijikata. The 'demon'. Of course. Something told him that it would take unheard of measures of torture to wring a single word out of the kid. What would be the fastest way? Everybody reacted differently to different kinds of torture. Hijikata studied the boy's unfathomable expression, and got the feeling that life had already been cruel to the red-haired kid. _But I must be cruel too_, Hijikata reminded himself.

_Not all the time_, Souji's voice answered in his mind.

Thinking of Souji made Hijikata feel sick. How could he have possibly considered torturing the poor kid in front of him? Hitokiri or not- Choshu or not- Enemy or not— Hijikata realized that he could never bring himself to do it… and the realization made him hate himself. Suddenly he couldn't stand the sight of the red-haired boy. Reaching for the stack of towels beside the tub, he threw one at the prisoner and kept one for himself. "Get up," he said gruffly, and then dragged the boy back out into the wash room. "Put your clothes on," he ordered.

Once they were both dressed, Hijikata pulled the prisoner out into the yard. Immediately the boy tried to twist out of Hijikata's grasp to run for it, but it was hopeless. Hijikata's grip was unshakable, and before long the little hitokiri found himself thrown back into his cell. After locking the door to the prison shed, Hijikata leaned heavily against the wall. He felt like the world was out of control- like he couldn't even see his own hands clearly. Everything he stood forthreatened to disintegrate into chaos. There was only one thing that made any sense—

"Souji," Hijikata muttered, finding him reading a book in his room.

Souji realized that something was wrong and dropped the book. Worriedly he looked up at the vice commander, who couldn't meet his gaze.

"What have you done to me, Souji?" Hijikata asked in a whisper.

Souji narrowed his eyes. "Are you all right, Hijikatasan?"

"No, damn it, I'm not."

"Well… it's good that you can admit that, anyway. Won't you tell me what's wrong?"

Hijikata was quiet for a moment. "I'm disgusted with myself," he said at last. Souji managed to stop himself from giggling.

"Why, all this time, I thought it was the rest of the world you were disgusted with."

"That too," Hijikata grumbled. "That child… that hitokiri…I know I should torture him for information… but I can't. I can't do it, Souji! I… I'm defeated. We're trying to hold this country together by its last few threads and… I started to think about torturing him, but…"

"Hijikatasan, stop it," Souji admonished. "You're trying to take the responsibility for everything, including the fate of that boy and the fate of this country, and somehow you're confusing your reluctance to destroy the one with your inability to guarantee the security of the other."

Hijikata blinked at him, dumbfounded.

Souji looked straight through his soul. "_Right?_" a moment passed in silence.

"Souji…How do you _do_ that?" Hijikata asked, a little unnerved.

"Do what?" Souji smiled innocently, tipping his head to one side.

"How do you know what I'm thinking when I don't even know it myself?"

"Being vice commander must be very stressful," Souji said thoughtfully, not answering the question. "But there's no need for you to do everything by yourself. You can delegate some tasks to your loyal subordinates, you know. If you want information from our prisoner, _I'll take care of it_." With an unreadable smile, Souji got to his feet and brushed past Hijikata into the hall.

Hijikata watched him go, completely stunned. Halfway down the hall, Souji stopped and laughed. He looked over his shoulder at Hijikata, loving the completely-blown-away expression on the vice commander's face.

"Whatever would you do without me, Hijikatasan?" Souji called playfully. Hijikata slowly shook his head, and with another laugh, Souji headed off again towards the prison shed. Hijikata sighed and closed his eyes.

_Whatever would I do without him?_ He repeated the question to himself. The answer was clear.

"…Suffer," he grumbled out loud, and then shuffled off towards his room.


	4. just a killer

Author's Note: I got the idea for this chapter from the "_Peacemaker Kurogane_ Original Side Story Vol. 7" by Hasegawa Nahoko (if you bought the anime, it was in the booklet with disc #4). If you haven't read it, the gist of it is that Souji has no qualms about falsifying records and lying to Hijikata in order to help Tatsu explain some missing money. With that in mind, Souji's scheme in this chapter shouldn't seem too far-fetched. Hopefully you'll find it in your heart to review!

Chapter 4: just a killer

Later that night, Souji quietly slipped into the prison shed, where Battousai was dozing, sitting up against the wall. Souji was carrying a sheathed pair of swords and also two bamboo training swords. Souji bent down and placed the pair of real swords on the floor just inside the door. Battousai realized with a flicker of interest that those swords were his own. Perhaps he would be offered the chance to kill himself. If so, that would be a good opportunity to escape. He didn't move when Souji came up to the bars of the cell and peered in at him, though he did raise his dark eyes to his captor's face, as if to make sure it was really the same Shinsengumi captain who had been visiting him and talking to him for the past three days. Somehow the young captain looked different wearing a hakama and with his hair pulled back.

Souji sighed and unlocked the door to cell, gracefully stepping inside and shutting the door again. Before the legendary hitokiri had time to stand up, Souji had stuck his hand through the bars, re-locked the door to the cell, and tossed the key through the bars to the other side of the room. The key clinked on the stone floor, well out of reach, and Battousai's face sank into a tiny frown. He almost looked annoyed. What was Captain Okita doing? His confusion only worsened as a shinai was tossed in his direction, bouncing on the ground and then rolling to a stop at his feet. Battousai stared at it with cold eyes, and then looked up suspiciously at Souji.

Souji smiled. "Would you like to play a little kendo with me, Battousaisan?"

Battousai blinked.

"I know the, ah, 'room' is kind of small, but that should make it more challenging! It will be like fighting in a closet, or a narrow alley!" Souji beamed at him.

"don't be ridiculous," the little hitokiri muttered, closing his eyes. "There couldn't possibly be any point to that."

"So you won't?" Souji looked down at him with round, solemn eyes.

The redhead didn't reply. Souji sighed again, and for a thoughtful moment he studied the prisoner. Then he walked forward until he was standing beside the boy. He turned, leaned back against the wall, and then slowly sank down the wall until he was sitting next to the prisoner. For several long minutes they sat there side by side in the dark, until finally Battousai broke the silence.

"Look…what are you doing here?" he asked abruptly. He glanced at the shinai in disdain. "If you want to fight, why didn't you bring steel, instead of these toys?"

"I don't want to fight; I just want to communicate," Souji replied.

"… you've been talking to me for three days," the hitokiri grumbled, glancing sideways at Souji in annoyance.

"And you can't figure out why," Souji stated.

"…No, I can't," the boy admitted reluctantly.

"It bothers you," Souji said, turning his head to look at the prisoner with an all-knowing expression.

Battousai felt a small measure of heat rise to his face. His mouth twitched. What was going on? For months now, nothing had irritated or agitated him at all. But this Shinsengumi captain was actually starting to get under his skin.

"You're insane. Or just a fool," he told Souji, his voice low and icy. Souji smiled benignly at him again. Meanwhile the hitokiri regained his leaden expression, his eyes glinting like steel-- and Souji knew exactly what was going through his immature mind.

It was no surprise to the Shinsengumi captain when the hitokiri suddenly sprang to his feet, snatched up the shinai, and attacked savagely. Souji was able to match his speed, and in the same split second he was also on his feet, and between their bodies the two shinai formed a perfect "+". Souji's shinai was in the vertical position, and without having to think, he dipped the wooden sword forward, sliding it along Battousai's shinai-- and then in a lightning-fast maneuver, he weaved the shinai underneath Battousai's forearms, and jerked upwards. Had they been using real swords, both of Battousai's hands would have fallen to the ground.

Without giving the young Ishin-shishi any time to understand what had happened, Souji dropped his own shinai and grabbed the prisoner by both stunned wrists. Shoving the boy back into the wall just forcefully enough to make him gasp, Souji pinned the boy's wrists above and to either side of his red-haired head. Battousai clenched his hands into fists and his arms trembled with the effort of trying to escape, but Souji held him firmly in place. The Shinsengumi captain was stronger than him after all.

"Once you're caught like this, it's over for you," Souji told him calmly. "But of course, you're so quick, there's nobody out there who could catch you-- much less get your sword away from you."

"I've never used a _shinai_," Battousai grumbled, his eyes narrowed in fury. His heart was racing- he knew he'd just lost their little match, and he didn't like being pinned to the wall. He also didn't like being defenseless. And he _really_ didn't like Captain Okita's gentle tone of voice.

"Hmm," Souji said distractedly. He gazed down at the prisoner with eyes that were every bit as deadly as the boy's own. But then he let his eyes unfocus, and lowered his head until his forehead rested against the boy's. Understandably unnerved by this, Battousai gritted his teeth, but didn't try to struggle. Souji's eyes were vacant and unblinking.

"We're just alike," Souji murmured. "It's so _easy_, isn't it? Killing…it's just so _natural_. You were _born_ to do it." Souji lifted his head so he could focus on the boy's face again. Suddenly the young hitokiri's eyes looked very purple, and they flashed brightly.

"I'm _not_ like you," the boy blurted out. "I'm just a killer. You've been in here babbling for three days, telling me dumb stories, _laughing_, pretending to be… to be… human… but it's all a pathetic lie. You're a monster hiding behind a smile."

Souji's voice remained deadly calm. He searched the boy's eyes. "But don't you wish… that _you_ had a smile to hide behind?" he asked.

"_No_," Battousai replied fiercely, as if the idea offended him. "What would be the _point_?"

Souji blinked, and was overcome by a deep pain in his chest. He finally let go of the boy's wrists and took a step back, coughing hoarsely three or four times. When the fit passed, he stared at the prisoner, seeing his reflection in the boy's deep, determined eyes. "Someday, you'll understand," Souji predicted. Then he smiled.

"_That_," Battousai said disgustedly. "That right there! Why do you do that?"

Souji's smile became a little softer, a little more sincere. "It's not so much for my own sake as for the people around me," he confided. "Isn't a peaceful smile better for my friends to see? You _do_ care about the people around you, don't you, Battousaisan?"

The prisoner frowned. Someone who wanted to be a savior for the people couldn't answer 'no' to that question, but recently, it was growing difficult to care about anything beyond accomplishing each mission. Each… kill. Battousai looked away stormily.

"Now then," Souji said brightly. "The reason I came over here tonight: I need to know where Katsura Kogoro is."

Battousai lowered his eyebrows. "So I'm to be interrogated. I promise you I won't break easily."

"I don't doubt your strength, or your loyalty to Katsurasan. But you _will_ tell me where he is," Souji said with a cheerful grin.

"I suppose tonight is my 'last chance' to cooperate before your 'demon' vice commander tortures me, right?"

"Oh, he's not going to torture you," Souji said matter-of-factly. The hitokiri gave a puzzled frown.

"…In that case… are _you_ going to do it?" he asked in a dull monotone.

"Nope!" Souji laughed. "_Nobody's_ going to torture you, because you're going to _escape_ after you tell me what I need to know. You'll have a head start on us, and I'm sure you'll get there in time to warn Katsurasan and enable another of his famous evasions." With a guileless smile, Souji fixed the prisoner with one of those intense, paralyzing looks, staring with near-omniscience into the boy's burdened soul. The message was absolutely clear: _You can trust me!_

Battousai gaped at him. "There's no way…" he muttered, trying to force reason back into his brain. "You're Captain of the first squad of the Shinsengumi-- You couldn't just let an Ishin-shishi prisoner _escape_… there's no way you'd let _Battousai _escape."

"It's true that you're our most dangerous enemy," Souji conceded. "But I don't believe that you're 'just a killer'. If you could show me that on some level _you_ don't believe that either, then I'd have no problem setting you free."

"…What do you mean?"

"I mean… while it _would _be stupid of me to set Battousai free, I'd have no problem letting_ Kenshin_ escape." Souji scrunched his eyes closed in a smile, but didn't miss the brief flash of confusion on the prisoner's face.

"You…you know that much, but you can't find Katsurasan?" Battousai asked breathlessly. "That's a little hard to believe. How do you know that name?" There were only two or three Ishin-shishi who knew that the name 'Kenshin' was in any way connected to hitokiri Battousai. (((author's assumption! Any RK mangamaniacs out there care to dispute?)))

"The Shinsengumi has many connections, and the politics of information are endlessly complicated," Souji said neutrally, tilting his head to one side.

Battousai shook his head in disbelief.

"So tell me," Souji prompted, "that you're _not _just a ruthless killer. You're not heartless- you don't kill for fun, do you? You want to help people, and someday, if you could do that _without_ killing, you would, right? You want to make the world a better place, don't you?"

"yes," the boy said, closing his eyes.

Souji gave him a smile that was both warm and wistful. "Himurakun. Your life has the potential to be about more than just killing someday! If you can only acknowledge that potential, and hold on to that _hope_, I'll be happy to help you escape."

"But I still have a lot of work to do," Battousai murmured. "I'll be hunting down your comrades. Knowing that, would you still turn me loose?"

"Why not?" Souji asked, blinking wide, child-like eyes. "What's wrong with wanting to do a fellow genius swordsman a favor?"

"I'm on the OTHER SIDE!" Battousai exclaimed, actually raising his voice. "It's not a joke! When the war finally comes, we'll be on opposite sides! Don't you understand? Don't you ca-…" the boy blinked, and then his eyes widened in realization. He looked up at the Shinsengumi captain in shock, searching his eyes. Souji gazed back at him passively, evenly. He had nothing to hide. The boy swallowed, and continued in a different tone of voice: "You really _don't _care, do you?" he asked. "About the Bakufu… or the revolution… about what you're supposed to be fighting for-- you don't even _believe_ in it, do you?"

Souji smiled. "I have my reasons for how I live my life. They may not be as 'noble' as yours, but then again, who's to judge?" he asked, and then added softly, "I believe I should do the best I can with what I've been given."

Neither of them spoke for a moment. Then Battousai sighed, and his brow furrowed sadly. "Do you ever wish…" he muttered in a broken voice, not looking at Souji. "…that you had been given something different?"

Souji understood that from the little hitokiri, this question was both a confession and a desperate plea for empathy. He felt strangely compelled to hug the boy, to wrap his arms around those slender hunched shoulders and tell the hitokiri-child not to despair. But as he reached out his hand, Battousai flinched away from it instinctively. Sadly Souji wondered how many years it had been since the boy had been hugged. Souji let his hand fall back to his side.

"Oh," Souji said, reverting to his usual smile and deciding to answer the question. "Sometimes. But it never fixes anything, you know? So I try to make the best of it all, and concentrate on finding the _good_ in things."

"…Even in your enemy," Battousai realized.

Souji smiled and nodded.

Early the next morning, Tetsu headed for the prison shed, fulfilling his duty of bringing food to the prisoner. For some reason Okitasan had asked Tetsu late last night if he wouldn't mind getting up a little early to feed the prisoner before everyone else woke up. Naturally Tetsu _had_ minded, but had also been unable to refuse Souji's request. Tetsu yawned, shuffling across the yard.

As the door to the prison shed creaked open, both Souji and Battousai looked up expectantly. "Good morning, Tetsukun," Souji called as the pageboy appeared in the doorway.

"_Okitasan?_" Tetsu gasped, almost dropping the breakfast tray. He scurried into the room and shut the door behind him. Then he stared into the cell, where there were two pairs of violet eyes staring back at him. "Okitasan, are you okay? What are you doing in there?" Tetsu demanded, aghast.

"Waiting for you to let me out, actually," Souji replied, smiling. "Tetsukun? Would you mind? The key is on the floor behind you."

Eyes wide, Tetsu turned and spotted the key. He was too surprised to wonder how it had gotten there. He put down the breakfast tray and picked up the key, hurrying forward to open the lock. "But Okitasan," Tetsu hesitated, when he was within a few feet of the cell. "The prisoner's awake! If I open the door, won't he… attack?"

"There's nothing to worry about," Souji assured him. "Just please hurry and open the door!"

"Uh, okay," Tetsu said, nervous confusion buzzing in his ears. Something didn't feel right. What was going on? All he could do was trust that Okitasan had everything under control. After a few tense seconds, the lock clicked open.

"Thank you, Tetsukun." Souji said, pushing the door open and stepping out into the room. Then he grinned brilliantly, _winked_ at Tetsu, and held the door open for the prisoner.

"_Katajikanai_," Battousai muttered, stepping into the room beside Souji. Tetsu's mouth fell open so dramatically that it nearly hit the floor.

"You… you're setting him free?" Tetsu asked a frantic whisper.

"Ah- don't forget these," Souji said amicably, picking up the katana and wakizashi he had placed by the door the night before. "You'll be needing them." He handed the weapons to Battousai, who bowed his head in gratitude.

"And you're giving him _swords_?" Tetsu whined, horrified.

"Tetsu, hush," Souji said. Tetsu's eyes were wide as saucers. _The _Battousai was loose in the room, and _armed _! Tetsu clamped his own hand over his mouth to stop himself from screaming. Souji, meanwhile, returned his full attention to the hitokiri. "Himurakun. Katsurasan is…?"

Battousai looked up at him, his swords already in place at his hip. "Katsurasan is staying at the Tsushima estate," he said quietly, his face expressionless.

Souji nodded. "Ah. That was a wise choice on his part," he said. The hitokiri gave an abbreviated bow and moved towards the door.

"Himurakun?" Souji asked suddenly. "Before you go- I have one small request." Battousai stopped and turned his head, glancing over his shoulder at Souji with a cold gleam in his eye.

"What is it?" the hitokiri asked, his voice deadly soft.

"Will you please… smile? Just once?"

Battousai blinked, but his expression remained as somber as stone.

"Come on, I know it's in you somewhere," Souji said encouragingly.

Battousai looked down at the floor. His mouth twitched several times, as if he meant to speak. Then it appeared as if he was concentrating furiously on something. Tetsu thought he seemed sad, then angry, then simply confused. And then suddenly the young hitokiri looked up.

Without speaking, he tipped his head to one side. The light in his eyes softened- a _peaceful_ look spread over his face- and then, there it was- the slightest of smiles.

Tetsu was duly unnerved. In a matter of seconds, the ruthless assassin had transformed into a friendly-looking kid you might want to hold hands with. But it only lasted for an instant before the tiny smile flickered and died, and was replaced by a grim, impersonal scowl.

Souji nodded, satisfied. "Good," he said. "I guess you better be on your way, Battousaisan."

"Yes," the hitokiri replied.

"_Ki 'o tsukete_," Souji said softly. From the look in his eyes it was clear that he really meant it. …_Be careful_.

"Thank you," Battousai murmured, and slipped away through the door.

Author's note (again): sorry for not making this chapter humorous, but this is really the interaction I picture between Souji and Battousai. I think they would naturally trust and respect each other, and become friends if time and fate allowed. Sigh!


	5. halfway to saving the world

Chapter 5: halfway to saving the world

Souji sighed, and his serious expression lightened. "Well, that's done," he said, smiling at Tetsu. "Thank goodness."

"O- Okitasan," Tetsu stuttered, gaping at him. "I can't believe you actually got him to do that."

"What, reveal the location of Choshu han's leader?"

"No, not that- I can't believe you got him to _smile_. I can't believe you were able to _influence_ him like that!" Tetsu stared up at the captain he idolized, his young mind reeling. Battousai, the Shinsengumi's dreaded nemesis, had just given captain Okita whatever he asked for without the slightest resistance. Had Okitasan asked for a cup of tea, Tetsu had no doubt that the hitokiri would have brought it before making his escape. Tetsu shuddered, haunted by the memory of Battousai's brief smile. Apparently there was no limit to the persuasive power lurking behind Okitasan's bright, innocent-seeming eyes. Tetsu frowned uncomfortably. "You know, Okitasan… you're kind of scary sometimes."

Souji chuckled. "Anyway," he said brightly, "Thanks for your help just now."

Tetsu's eyes grew wide… and then wider… and then they widened even further, making Souji worry that at any moment they might explode. "OH MY GOD!" Tetsu screamed, sounding a little bit like his brother. "You let him _escape_! And I HELPED you!"

"Calm down, calm down! There's nothing to worry about, Tetsukun!"

"But what about vice commander Hijikata?" Tetsu demanded in a panicked voice. "What about vice commander Hijikata's _huge cousin _!"

Souji laughed aloud, but the laugh turned into a cough. He covered his mouth and his eyes narrowed. At last he regained his breath and was able to speak.

"We all have a destiny, Tetsukun," he said with lethal serenity. "That young man has chosen his path, the same as I have, the same as you will, someday. His destiny may be to destroy this country, destroy himself… or perhaps his destiny lies beyond that. But no matter how horrible his fate may be, he's willing to throw himself towards it, holding nothing back- rushing headlong to meet whatever awaits him at the end of it all. I respect him for that, and… I feel like I can understand him."

"You understand _everybody_," Tetsu said. Souji smiled weakly.

"Hijikatasan and his '_huge_' cousin were conspiring to take that boy away from his destiny. That's why I intervened and set him free," Souji explained.

"But… he'll kill our friends!" Tetsu exclaimed.

Souji's face replicated Battousai's pitiable smile. "Well, that may be our friends' destiny, after all. Understand?"

"NO!" Tetsu hollered. "What's the point of struggling in life if you can't _change_ your fate? There's nothing brave or glorious about accepting how things are, saying 'it's meant to be'—that's an excuse for cowards, to avoid having to act, and take responsibility, which reminds me--" he paused to take a breath, and then continued at full speed, his eyes bugged out comically, their chestnut-orange irises shrunken in panic- "Why on earth did you have to set him free while _I_ was the one who was supposed to be guarding him? How are you going to explain it? How will you save me from Hijikata's wrath? I don't believe in 'destiny' so I _refuse_ to be incriminated here!"

"Ah, Tetsu," Souji said fondly, repressing a laugh. "You're not going to be blamed for this. I'll take care of everything. Just trust me, okay?"

Tetsu eyed him warily. "…Okay," he said at last, calming down. "All the same… maybe Ayunee has some out-of-town errands I could do… for the next week or so."

a short while later...

Souji staggered towards Hijikata's room, breathing raggedly and using a shinai like a cane. "Hiji- Hijikatasan," he called breathlessly. Instantly the door clattered open.

"Souji!" Hijikata said, horrified.

"Ah- ahem, _keh_, kofu _kofu_," Souji said, in what was possibly the worst-faked coughing fit ever.

Hijikata, of course, was completely fooled, and practically fell off the porch as he scrambled towards Souji, prepared to catch him should he collapse.

But Souji turned away, still breathing heavily. "Don't touch me, please," he said softly, and then stared blankly at the ground.

"_Souji!_" Hijikata repeated, blinking. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Hijikatasan," Souji said in his most serious voice. "I… I'm sorry. I went to talk to the prisoner last night. I locked myself in the cell with him."

"Whatever possessed you to do something as stupid as that!" Hijikata shouted, clenching his fists.

Souji continued to stare lifelessly at the ground, hunched over the shinai.

"He's dangerous, Souji! You should have known better—no, no, _I _should have known better. I never should have let you-"

"Hijikatasan." Souji interrupted him, his voice as soft and broken as the crushed wing of a bird. "It was… successful… I got the information you wanted. Katsura's hiding at the Tsushima estate."

"I don't give a shit about Katsura!" Hijikata declared, trembling with rage. "What the hell have you done to yourself? Look at me! Tell me you're ok!"

Souji made another coughing noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. "I'm fine," he muttered, struggling to retain his composure. "But, ah… I was awake all night, so… I think I'll go get some rest now. Bye!"

Souji 'limped' back towards his own room, leaving Hijikata standing in the yard, completely at a loss. When he felt he was a safe distance away, Souji turned around. "Seriously, Hijikatasan!" he called out, only this time in a cheerful voice. "Tsushima han's estate. We should check it out!"

"Uh- right," Hijikata said, still not completely sure of what had just happened.

"And… what do you want to do about the prisoner?" Souji asked.

Hijikata grit his teeth. "You mean you left him _alive_?" he growled. "Ugh! I never want to see him again! Send somebody to tell my rotten cousin to come and pick him up. He's useless to us now that we know where his boss is hiding, and the Shinsengumi's _not_ a nursery for other people's snotty undisciplined brats."

Souji beamed at him from across the yard. "Yes sir," he said, propping the shinai over his shoulder and strolling away. Hijikata frowned after him for a few seconds, realizing that he'd been severely duped… but as he was so relieved to know that Souji was actually ok, he couldn't find the energy to be angry.

Later that afternoon, a wave of sword ki swept the Shinsengumi headquarters like a gust of wind. Even the not-so-great swordsmen sensed, it, and stopped what they were doing to wonder where it came from. Saitou Hajime opened his eyes halfway.

"He's back," Saitou muttered disinterestedly, and closed his eyes again.

Tetsu opened the gate, and suddenly felt weak in the knees. Hijikata's scary cousin looked even taller and his shoulders looked even more massive in the daylight. Tetsu gulped. "W- welcome back, sir," he managed to say.

"Thanks," Hiko grumbled. "Where's Toshi?"

"Vice commander Hijikata is in his room, sir," Tetsu replied.

Without knocking, Hiko opened the door.

"Oh, it's you," Hijikata grunted, smoke rising from his pipe. Hiko glanced at Souji, who smiled and bowed his head slightly.

"Feh," Hiko said disdainfully. "Honestly, Toshi, the rumors about you and this guy…" Souji only smiled happily.

"Are you trying to offend me?" Hijikata asked. "Because, you've already managed that, what with your ridiculous display of sword ki, throwing it around as if you hoped to crack the roof tiles…"

"What? _Display?_ If I wanted to crack the roof tiles, believe me, I would have done so." Hiko sneered at him arrogantly.

Hijikata sighed as if this was the most tedious encounter he had ever had to endure. "Yes. We all know you're the one-and-only master of the ancient dragon-wind-whatever style, congratulations, you're _marvelous_. But some of us _do_ still try to live in the real world, so if you would be so kind, collect your miserable apprentice and leave us in peace."

"Peace?" Hiko said. "For you? Hah! That'll be the day. Anyway about my stupid student, just how much 'hospitality' have you shown him? I can't sense his ki from here. Is he conscious? And how badly injured- can he walk, or am I going to have to drag him? About how many of his bones did you break?"

"I haven't the slightest idea," Hijikata said. "Souji's been in charge of interrogating him and so forth."

Hiko turned to Souji with a look of disgust. "_This_ character? Eck. Sounds traumatizing all right. I'll try not to imagine what _that _must have been like."

"Don't worry, Hikosan. I questioned him last night. I'm sure that by now, Himura Battousai has completely recovered," Souji said politely. "I'll take you to him now."

Hiko followed him out towards the shed.

"Aren't you guys supposed to be some kind of military police force?" Hiko asked, looking around the yard, where nearly everyone visible was lounging around in a yukata. Hiko frowned. "Don't you have uniforms or something?"

"Of course we do!" Souji said proudly. "We all have a light blue haori with white pointed stripes on the sleeves."

"_Light blue?_ Well, _that '_ ll strike fear into their hearts! Who picked _light blue _?"

"I did."

"Ugh. You'd think my cousin, if he really is a 'vice commander', could at least order all these boys to wear some pants."

Souji frowned, then turned around and decided to be cute. "But, Hikosan, wearing pants is such a hassle! As a good commander, Hijikatasan appreciates the efficiency and convenience of casual dress."

"That sounds pretty gay, all right," Hiko muttered. "I guess mom was right about him after all. Women must have a way of sensing that sort of thing."

"Why, I've never met Hijikatasan's aunt," Souji exclaimed. "She must be a quite a lady, to have raised such an impressive son."

"Frankly, she's one of those nosy hags you try to avoid inviting for the holidays. But I'll admit, the old lady _still_ scares the hell out of me. And she'd absolutely _kill_ ol' Toshi if she knew about _you_."

Souji frowned sadly for a moment, and then managed to look halfway annoyed. "Obviously you've made a few assumptions about my relationship with Hijikatasan," he said quietly. "And I'm surprised at your hostility in that direction. After all, Hikosan, your young apprentice is quite… 'attractive'. Are you sure your relationship with him is merely… professional?"

"WHAT!" Hiko shouted. "Just what are you implying? That boy is like a son to me!"

"A son you would permit to be tortured by his enemies?"

"Kid's gotta grow up sometime! 'Spare the rod and spoil the child', you know! Pain builds character!"

"I see… and now it becomes obvious why you're still afraid of your mother."

"Hmf," Hiko grunted. "She raised me right, as far as I'm concerned," he said. By now they were standing outside the shed.

"This is the place," Souji said.

"Are you sure he's not dead?" Hiko muttered.

"Positive."

"And you're sure he's in here?"

"Well, he ought to be. That's where he was locked up last night."

"All right. Stand back," Hiko commanded, drawing his katana. Souji felt his heart rate jump. Hiko had one of those swords that had ended enough lives to practically have a life of its own. It _sang_ as it tasted the air, like a hawk announcing its hunger before the hunt. Having a sword like that could make a person crazy. Souji stared at the blade, fascinated.

"YOU WORTHLESS IDIOT!" Hiko bellowed, crouching slightly. "MAKING ME COME ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE TO RESCUE YOUR SORRY ASS FROM THIS BUNCH OF PANSIES!"

Souji winced, felt a gust of air nearly knock him down, and suddenly it was over. Where once had stood the prison shed, now there was a pile of rubble. Hiko was standing in the middle of it, about to put away his sword.

Souji could have sworn that the weapon gave a keen, thirsty moan of disappointment as it was put back to sleep in its sheath. Wide-eyed, Souji surveyed the damage. The building was gone, reduced to bite-sized bits. Was it really _possible_ that in a split second the man had used a _sword_ to create this kind of destruction? Souji gulped in disbelief.

"…He's not here," Hiko growled as the dust settled.

"What?" Souji said, sounding genuinely startled. "Are you sure he's not…just… buried in the debris?"

"I'm sure," Hiko said. "He must have escaped."

"Escaped? But he was locked in here last night!"

"That was the last time you saw him? Last night? Meaning he was left unguarded _all day?_ UGH! By now the little shit is probably halfway to saving the world. So much for relying on the Shinsengumi! I'm disappointed. You're all pathetic!"

"Are you going to try to find him in the city?" Souji asked.

"No way. That's _your_ problem now. My stupid student will come back to me on his own, if he knows what's good for him. Otherwise, he'll rot with the rest of the world. For now, I'll just wait and see what happens. Excuse me. I've got sake to drink."

Cape fluttering, Hiko make his way across the yard, leaving Souji abandoned at the site of the demolished shed.

Tetsu bowed to Hiko at the gate. "Thank you sir, and please visit us again," Tetsu said, hoping he sounded very official and page-like.

"No chance of _that_," Hiko snorted, and stalked off down the street. Tetsu watched him go, and felt a certain sense of awe for the man. He was a brilliant swordsman, even more so than Okitasan. He was also an arrogant asshole who was cooler than everyone else, even more so than Hijikatasan. _And_ he had incredibly huge muscles. _Wow_. Tetsu was tempted to add the man to his already noteworthy list of role models, but ultimately decided against it. After all, the man's student had run off to join the Choshu scumbags who were trying to ruin the country, and the man wasn't doing anything to stop him.

That poor, politically confused Battousai! Tetsu felt sorry for him and wished he could see the hitokiri again to explain to him why the Choshu were the bad guys. He didn't know exactly what he'd say, but he was _sure_ that he could convince the other little redhead to be one of the good guys. Maybe then he could even join the Shinsengumi, and then Tetsu would have somebody else his age to talk to!

Tetsu scowled, wondering for the thousandth time that day why Okitasan had allowed the young hitokiri to escape. It wasn't right! He was probably out there prowling the streets right now, looking for 'wolves' to kill. Tetsu replayed in his mind the events of that morning. It was _insane_- Okitasan had made the boy betray his boss in one breath and _smile_ about it with the next. Okitasan was _amazing_! Tetsu grinned. Okitasan was a role model worth hanging on to. Tetsu wanted to be just like him… and suddenly he got an idea.

Author's note: ….and you're gonna have to wait until the next (final?) chapter to find out what Tetsu's idea is! Wuah huah huah. Next time: Battousai meets ANOTHER angsty bakumatsu boy, and kinda likes his scarfy fashion statement. Just kidding… maybe.


	6. i want to be like you

Author's Note: this is a mostly (but not entirely) serious chapter. To understand the last part, you may want to reread the end of chapt. four. By the way, I drew a picture for chapter four… if you want to see it, e-mail me (bunetwo at hotmail dot com) and I'll send it to you!

Chapter 6: I want to be like you

Himura Battousai had no problem finding his master. Upstairs in Katsura's new hideout, the boy knelt and touched his red bangs to the tatami. The two of them were alone in the room.

"Himura," Katsura said kindly. "I'm relieved to see you again. When you disappeared four days ago, we feared the worst. What happened?" His tone was concerned rather than accusatory.

"I was ambushed and taken prisoner," Battousai said softly, not meeting Katsura's gaze, "by the Shinsengumi."

"Shinsengumi?" Katsura repeated.

"Yes sir. I told them about the Tsushima estate. It won't be safe for you to return there."

"I figured as much. I had been hiding there for too long anyway." Katsura studied the boy for a moment, and then sighed, his heart heavy. "Were you tortured?"

Battousai shook his head. "Captain Okita questioned me," he supplied.

Katsura blinked in surprise. "I was under the impression that Vice commander Hijikata handled all the …interrogations."

"Yes," Battousai said, and his eyes narrowed a little. "And Hijikata meant to torture me, but he… became discouraged."

"Hijikata Toshizou, discouraged about torturing a Choshu Ishin-shishi like yourself?" Katsura asked, astonished. "I can hardly believe that. The man I've heard of is merciless. Why do you think he turned you over to Captain Okita?"

For a long moment the boy stared at the floor. "I think… Captain Okita might have acted without the Vice commander's permission," he said softly.

Katsura blinked at him. "Well. That's very interesting," he commented. "How did you manage to escape?"

"I didn't. Okita let me go," Battousai said quietly, hanging his head as if ashamed. "Hm. That's even more interesting," Katsura said, and his expression darkened in confusion. "Surely he knows how dangerous you are to the Shinsengumi and their cause. Do you think he took pity on you?"

"I'm not sure," Battousai admitted. "It might have been pity or he might have had another reason."

Katsura nodded thoughtfully, and sighed again. "Well. I'm afraid it's back to business. I'm sorry to put you to work so soon, but can I ask you to guard the door to the garden tonight? The front entrance is already under guard. Toshimaro should arrive within the hour, and after that, no one is to enter this building until he leaves."

Battousai bowed. "Yes sir."

* * *

The white-haired boy was out of breath from running. He carried a katana and wakizashi in his arms, and had a katana at his hip as well. A long white scarf was wrapped loosely around his neck. Breathing as loudly as a horse, he slipped through the fence surrounding the garden, and ran towards the house. Suddenly he was on his back on the ground, the tip of a sword poking his throat. He winced and gasped, the air knocked from his lungs, and looked up furiously at the person standing over him.

"Who are you?" the white-haired and red-haired boys asked simultaneously.

"I'm Yoshida-sensei's page!" the boy on the ground said in the next breath. "He told me to bring his swords here!"

Battousai moved his sword away from the boy's throat. It was true that the tall, dark, and Hijikata-esque Yoshida had arrived without swords. "You can't go in," the red-haired boy muttered. Suzu scowled and sat up, embarrassed.

"My master told me to bring him his swords!" he said angrily, climbing to his feet. "Get out of my way!" the red-haired boy didn't even look at him. Suzu's immaturity surfaced and he drew his katana. "I'm going in!"

Battousai sighed. He raised his eyes to the other boy's face for half a second. It was enough. Suzu blinked at him, swept by a mysterious sense of panic. Some suppressed instinct was telling him to bolt, to run for his life. Gripping his sword even tighter, Suzu resolved to stand his ground.

Slowly, gracefully, Battousai sheathed his katana. "You won't attack me," he told Suzu softly. "If you are Yoshida-sensei's page, you may sit here and wait for him."

At a loss, Suzu put his sword away and sat down. He really wasn't sure what it was about the kid that conveyed such authority- he seemed to be only about the same age and height as Suzu himself. Blushing in frustration, Suzu glared at the red-haired boy out of the corner of his eye.

"so…" he asked hesitantly after a few moments. "Just who are you, anyway?"

Battousai had stepped back into the shadow of the house and was leaning against the wall, his hands listless at his sides and his head inclined slightly, as if were purposely hiding his face in the shadow of his bangs. "I'm guarding the door," he muttered softly. "That's all you need to know."

Suzu scowled. "So you work for Katsurasan?" he asked. Battousai made no reply. "Where are you from?" Suzu asked a moment later. "Satsuma?" Suzu guessed. No answer. "Tosa?" Suzu guessed again. Once more the other boy ignored him. "Hey! I'm talking to you here!" Suzu called, exasperated. When he still didn't get a reaction, he frowned and pulled his knees to his chest. Of course it was none of his business who the red-haired boy was. But for some reason, he was curious. He was just about to ask the boy another question when the door to the house opened suddenly.

Suzu jumped to his feet. "Sensei!" he breathed.

"Suzu." Yoshida said gruffly, strolling out into the yard. Battousai stood aside and bowed slightly. Yoshida ignored him, completely focused on his page.

"Sensei, I brought your swords. I--"

"I heard your voice out here from the second floor," Yoshida said, his voice quietly threatening. He took a menacing step towards the white-haired boy. "What have I told you about remaining inconspicuous?"

Suzu gulped. "I… I know I'm not supposed to do anything to attract attention," Suzu said breathlessly, and practically threw himself to the ground, bowing at his master's feet. "Sensei, I'm sorry!"

"I'm disappointed in you, Suzu," Yoshida rumbled. Suzu looked up at him fearfully, but Yoshida turned his attention to Battousai. The young hitokiri didn't look up, but he stiffened as Yoshida reached towards him. Suzu watched wide-eyed as Yoshida actually patted the red-haired boy's shoulder.

"This is a good boy," Yoshida said. "Suzu. You should learn to be more like this."

Without another word, Yoshida went back into the house. Suzu stared after him, feeling angry, confused, and hurt. He glanced furiously at the silent red-haired boy who had just been _praised _by his sensei. The boy was standing there listlessly as if nothing had happened, as if he didn't even care- sensei's praise didn't matter to him one bit. Suzu gritted his teeth, and knew that his face was turning pink. He turned away from the other boy, and told himself that he wasn't going to cry, not here, not like this, not in front of that red-haired boy.

But jealousy and self-loathing overpowered his pride. Battousai glanced over at him and saw the tell-tale trembling of Suzu's shoulders. For a second Battousai looked annoyed, but then he closed his eyes and sighed.

"Hey," he said awkwardly. "Are you ok?"

"Huh?" Suzu grunted, wiping his face on his sleeve.

"You've never… killed anybody?"

Suzu looked up, confused. He wasn't really sure if that had a been a question or a statement. He shook his head 'no', and the other boy looked away silently. Suzu was puzzled. Why would this boy seem to know whether or not Suzu had killed someone? Suddenly Suzu remembered something he had overheard at Masuya's. Something that sounded too scary to be true… something that was almost certainly a rumor. Suzu's eyes grew huge. He stared at the red-haired boy, his mouth hanging open.

"Impossible…" he whispered. "You… you're _him_, aren't you? You're that hitokiri! You're the Choshu hitokiri- Himura Battousai!"

After a tense moment, Battousai nodded his head.

Suzu's eyes ignited in awe. "Unbelievable!" he said, and then he blushed. No wonder sensei had praised the boy- he wasn't just some ordinary page, he was a legend! Some people called him the strongest Ishin-shishi, although of course there was no way he was stronger than sensei. Still, it now made sense why sensei would pat his shoulder like that, and tell Suzu to be more like him. "Is there… is there anything you can teach me? Please!" Suzu said eagerly, and bowed his head.

Battousai looked down at him, his eyes glinting coldly. "Teach you?" he repeated incredulously.

"Yes, I want to be like you! I want to be a hitoki-"

"Shut up," Battousai said, his own temper flaring abruptly.

"What?" Suzu said, his eyebrows lowering.

"You _don't_ want to be a hitokiri."

"Yes I do! I want revenge for my brother- and I want to be useful to Yoshida-sensei!"

Battousai looked unimpressed. "That's so _stupid_," he told the white-haired boy.

"_What?_" Suzu hissed, clenching his hands into fists. "You better take that back! After my brother was killed, Yoshida-sensei saved me and--"

"That's no reason to say you want to kill people!" Battousai said, clearly annoyed. "You don't understand anything!"

"I understand just fine," Suzu said venomously, glaring at Battousai with his cat-like eyes. "You don't want me to be a hitokiri because you're afraid I'd steal your _glory_- you want to be a hero all by yourself!"

An eerie gust of wind swept the garden as Battousai's hand went for his sword. His fingers closed around the hilt and stayed there, his whole arm twitching. "Take that back," he said dangerously.

"You take back what you said first!" Suzu demanded.

"I said, _take it back_!" Battousai repeated, furious.

The door to the house slid open once again, and both boys turned to look.

"Katsurasan," Battousai said, letting go of his sword in surprise. Katsura smiled kindly at both of them from the doorway.

"I see you two are getting along," Katsura remarked good-naturedly. Battousai and Suzu exchanged sideways glares of malice. "But unfortunately, Himura-san, I can't afford to have you distracted right now. I just received word that the Shinsengumi's crawling all over the Tsushima-han estate. I know you're sure that no one followed you here today, but all the same…"

Battousai bowed his head. "I'll be extra vigilant," he muttered. "Nothing will get even close to this door."

"No doubt," Katsura said warmly, and turned to Suzu. "Kitamurakun. Will you be so kind as to follow me inside, so that we can let Himurakun get back to being 'extra vigilant' out here?"

"Of course," Suzu said, wide-eyed at the prospect of such an honor.

"Before we go in, however, I would like both of you young gentlemen to say something nice to each other," Katsura said with a smile. "Kitamurakun. You first."

Suzu's mouth fell open. He glared at Battousai, his mind racing. The sooner he made up a compliment for this punk, the sooner he could go inside and be closer to his sensei. "You're good at guarding doors," Suzu said lamely.

"Never underestimate politeness," Katsura said wisely. "Himurakun, your turn."

Battousai looked Suzu over from head to toe. "I like your scarf," he stammered, even more lamely.

"All right then. Himurakun, please excuse us." Katsura turned around, still smiling softly, and Suzu gave a smug little smirk in Battousai's direction. Battousai gave him a half-scowling, half-pouting expression in return. The door slid shut behind Yoshida's page, leaving Battousai to sulk alone in the garden.

The sun had just set when the white-haired boy first arrived, and now it was rapidly getting dark. Battousai slouched against the wall, completely still, listening carefully as sound replaced sight as the keenest of his senses in the darkening environment. He was feeling a little tired. The night before, of course, he had barely slept, since he had been talking with Captain Okita pretty much all night. It had been strange to just _talk_ to someone. It had been a long time since he'd been able to have a real conversation. He wasn't able to talk to any of the other men at the Kohagiya. They either avoided him, or made jokes about him, and of course even the few other teens in the group were so much _older_ than him, but he had been exposed to much more suffering and bloodshed than they had. Suddenly Battousai found himself wondering about the white-haired boy with the scarf. He wondered if Suzu had any friends to talk to among the groups of Choshu ronin hiding in the city. Frankly, he didn't act like the kind of person who would have a lot of friends.

Just as Battousai came to that conclusion, the door slid open again. It was Suzu, carrying a tray with a teacup on it. Battousai looked up at him neutrally.

"Hey," Suzu muttered, looking off to the side, a little embarrassed. "Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, thank you," Battousai said, taking the cup. Suzu put the tray down, and then sighed.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Suzu said after a minute, glancing guiltily at the other boy. "I was feeling kind of …jealous, so I was trying to make you mad. It was dumb of me- I was acting like a kid."

"It's ok," Battousai said, closing his eyes and sipping the tea.

"But…" Suzu continued, looking distressed. "I still want to kill people, you know."

Battousai stared into his teacup, infinite sadness somewhere in the depths of his cold eyes. For a moment neither of them spoke. "I'm sorry about your brother," Battousai said at last.

Suzu nodded his head; apology accepted. He squatted down, wrapping his arms around his legs, and gazed out at the dark garden. After a while he whispered, to no one in particular- "Isn't… isn't killing the only way?"

Battousai looked up at the stars, not answering Suzu's question. Later that evening, Yoshida departed with his faithful page at his side, and Battousai was a little bit sorry to see the white-haired boy go.

* * *

Back at Shinsengumi headquarters, Yamazaki Susumu was feeling a little frustrated. He had been spying at the Tsushima estate all day, and hadn't learned anything useful. Sure, most of the revolutionaries were low-class scum, but the people at the top were smart. Too smart.

"There you are!" Tetsu exclaimed victoriously, stepping into the watcher's path. Susumu blinked at him, his face expressionless.

"I've been looking for you all day!" Tetsu said.

"What a pity that you finally found me," Susumu muttered.

Tetsu ignored him and concentrated on making his eyes as round and shimmering as possible. He was determined to get this right! He turned his full attention to the tall, slender boy. "Yamazakikun," Tetsu said soothingly, trying to imitate Okitasan's melodic voice. "Hijikatasan is…?"

Susumu looked down at him, his expression halfway between blank and dour. "…is…?" Susumu prompted at last.

"Is _where_," Tetsu clarified, trying not to get flustered. "_Where_ is Hijikatasan?"

"You're his damn page, so if you want to know where he is, try looking for him," Susumu said grumpily, turning to go. Tetsu's heart began to beat a little quicker. This wasn't going perfectly, but the most important part was coming up- he'd been rehearsing it all afternoon and he _was _going to get it right!

"Yamazakikun?" Tetsu asked suddenly. "Before you go- I have one small request." Susumu stopped and turned his head, glancing over his shoulder at Tetsu with a cold gleam in his eye.

"What is it?" the kansatsu asked, his voice deadly soft.

"Will you please… _smile?_ Just once?"

Susumu blinked, but his expression remained as somber as stone.

"Come on, I know it's in you somewhere," Tetsu said encouragingly.

Susumu looked down at the floor. His mouth twitched several times, as if he meant to speak. Then it appeared as if he was concentrating furiously on something. Tetsu thought he seemed sad, then angry, then simply confused. And then suddenly the young kansatsu looked up.

"Get away from me," Susumu said, disgusted.

"Aw, _please?_" Tetsu begged, chasing the taller boy down the hall. "Pleeease? Come _on!_ I _know_ you can do it. I've _seen_ you do it when you were dressed up as a girl!" Susumu stepped into a room and slammed the door in Tetsu's face.

Tetsu turned around and crossed his arms, pouting. Obviously, he had a long way to go if he hoped to be as persuasive as Okitasan. Tetsu sighed, but refused to be disheartened. In such a negative, hopeless world, positive-minded people always had their work cut out for them. Okitasan had managed to cheer up their gloomiest enemy. Perhaps Tetsu could cheer up their gloomiest friend. The thought of the challenge made Tetsu grin. He would give it his best, and even if it _was_ an impossible goal to reach, his determination to succeed made him feel like he was already halfway there.

IT'S OVER!

Author's note: …or is it? Sorry if the Suzu/Battousai encounter was not very entertaining, but I decided to save some stuff for the sequel. That's right, there's going to be a sequel to this story, because Battousai needs a hug. Don't forget to e-mail me if you want to see the fan art from chapter 4! Thanks for reading!


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